Light-Based ‘Tractor Beam’ Generated for Nanoscale Assembly

Researchers from the University of Washington (UW) have developed a method that could make reproducible manufacturing at the nanoscale possible. The team adapted an existing technique pioneered by Arthur Ashkin, optical tweezers, to operate in a water-free liquid environment of carbon-rich organic solvents. Traditional optical tweezing methods have been used almost exclusively in water or vacuum-based environments. The optical tweezers work like a light-based “tractor beam.” The technology isn’t able to lift cows or capture spaceships like its sci-fi namesake; instead, it shows its strength at the nanoscale where highly focused laser light is able to trap materials nearly one billion times shorter than a...